Repositionable protective housing or manway cover

ABSTRACT

According to particular embodiments, a repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly comprises a protective housing or manway cover, a hinge bracket, and a and a manway shell or nozzle. The protective housing or manway cover is coupled to the hinge bracket and the hinge bracket is repositionably coupled (e.g., via bolts, spring pins, clamps, etc.) to the manway shell or nozzle.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/266,541, entitled “REPOSITIONABLE MANWAY COVER,” filed Jan. 7, 2022 and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/366,789, entitled “REPOSITIONABLE PROTECTIVE HOUSING OR MANWAY COVER,” filed Jun. 22, 2022.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure generally relates to railcars, and more particularly to a repositionable cover for a manway or other protective housing.

BACKGROUND

Tank cars have been used for many years to transport a wide variety of commodities including liquids, gasses and other fluids. The contents of a tank car may sometimes be potentially hazardous if appropriate safety precautions are not taken. Also, the contents of a tank car may be valuable and subject to theft or misappropriation.

Most tank cars are designed with at least one access opening or manway nozzle located in the upper portion of the associated tank, proximate a midpoint between opposite ends of the tank car. The types of covers may differ between tank cars.

A fittings cover plate separates the interior of the tank car from the exterior. The valves, fittings and other components are typically selected based on characteristics and properties of the commodity or lading being transported and are often mounted on the fittings cover plate of modern pressurized tank cars.

Pressure car fittings typically include two “liquid or fluid” valves for loading and unloading an associated commodity. Respective check valves and induction piping may also be provided with the respective loading and unloading valves. One or more vapor valves, gauging devices and safety relief valves may also be mounted on the fittings cover plate.

Some tank cars may have smaller valves for drawing samples of lading and thermal wells for measuring the temperature of the lading. Non-pressurized tank cars may also have similar valves and fittings mounted on a fittings cover plate similar to a pressurized tank car. These covers are usually liquid-tight, fixed and not removed or adjusted during normal use. These are sometimes referred to as manway covers in the industry but are differentiated in this disclosure.

Various types of protective housing assemblies or dome structures are often disposed on the upper portion of a tank car adjacent to the manway to protect associated piping, valves, fittings and other components. Pressurized tank cars are required to have such protective housing assemblies or dome structures covering any pipes, valves, fittings and other components located on an upper portion of the pressurized tank car.

A relatively thick, steel ring or cylindrical portion, referred to as a nozzle or protective housing, is often attached around the fittings cover plate to protect the valves, fittings, and other components in the event the tank car is derailed and overturns. A protective housing cover or lid is typically bolted or otherwise secured to the opening at the top of the nozzle or protective housing to allow only limited or authorized access by personnel to the valves, fittings, etc. or to the interior of the tank. These typically are not liquid-tight.

On some tank cars, access to the interior of the tank may be through a manway. The opening is usually secured with a bolt-on cover referred to as a manway cover. A manway cover may or may not be surrounded by a protective housing. These may or may not comprise a liquid-tight closure and may provide limited or authorized access by personnel to the interior of the tank. Some manway covers may contain fittings.

Today, railcars may be staged in a lot prior to entering a loading or unloading facility to reorient the protected housing cover or manway cover because they may be oriented in a position where it may interfere with facility equipment or processes. This reduces the efficiency of the process with respect to both time and expense.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments described herein include a repositionable protective housing cover or manway cover. According to some embodiments, a repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly comprises a manway cover, a hinge bracket, and a manway shell or nozzle. The protective housing or manway cover is coupled to the hinge bracket. The hinge bracket is repositionably coupled (e.g., via bolts, clamps. etc.) to the manway shell or nozzle. In particular embodiments, the repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly further comprises a handle bracket repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle.

In particular embodiments, the manway shell or nozzle comprises a plurality of bolt holes positioned around the manway shell or nozzle (e.g. at 45 degree increments, 90 degree increments, etc.) and the hinge bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle via bolts using a subset of the plurality of bolt holes.

In particular embodiments, the protective housing or manway cover is coupled to the handle bracket and the handle bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle via bolts using a subset of the plurality of bolt holes.

In particular embodiments, the hinge bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle via disconnect pins, a band clamp, a toggle clamp, etc.

In particular embodiments, the manway shell or nozzle comprises a lip and the hinge bracket and/or handle bracket comprises a flange that secures the hinge bracket and/or handle bracket to the manway shell or nozzle via the lip. The flange and lip permit rotational movement of the hinge bracket and/or handle bracket with respect to the manway shell or nozzle and restrict vertical movement of the hinge bracket and/or handle bracket with respect to the manway shell or nozzle.

According to some embodiments, a method for repositioning a protective housing or manway cover comprises: determining that an orientation of a repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly is different than a desired orientation; uncoupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly from a manway shell or nozzle; reorienting the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly to the desired orientation; and coupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly to the manway shell or nozzle.

In particular embodiments, the protective housing or manway cover is coupled to a hinge bracket and the hinge bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle. Uncoupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly from a manway shell or nozzle comprises uncoupling the hinge bracket from the manway shell or nozzle. Coupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly to the manway shell or nozzle comprises coupling the hinge bracket to the manway shell or nozzle.

In particular embodiments, the protective housing or manway cover is coupled to a handle bracket and the handle bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle. Uncoupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly from a manway shell or nozzle comprises uncoupling the handle bracket from the manway shell or nozzle. Coupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly to the manway shell or nozzle comprises coupling the handle bracket to the manway shell or nozzle.

In particular embodiments, the hinge bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle via disconnect pins. Uncoupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly from a manway shell or nozzle comprises uncoupling the hinge bracket from the manway shell or nozzle via the disconnect pins. Coupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly to the manway shell or nozzle comprises coupling the hinge bracket to the manway shell or nozzle via the disconnect pins.

In particular embodiments, the hinge bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle via a band clamp. Uncoupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly from a manway shell or nozzle comprises uncoupling the hinge bracket from the manway shell or nozzle by releasing tension on the band clamp. Coupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly to the manway shell or nozzle comprises coupling the hinge bracket to the manway shell or nozzle by tensioning the band clamp.

In particular embodiments, the hinge bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle via a toggle clamp. Uncoupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly from a manway shell or nozzle comprises uncoupling the hinge bracket from the manway shell or nozzle by toggling the toggle clamp to a first position. Coupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly to the manway shell or nozzle comprises coupling the hinge bracket to the manway shell or nozzle by toggling the toggle clamp to a second position.

One advantage of particular embodiments is on-the-spot repositioning of the protective housing/manway cover at a customer facility. This precludes restaging of cars in the lot before they enter a facility to reorient the protective housing/manway cover. Another advantage is that one repositionable arrangement may be used across many different tank car sizes. Both of these facilitate cost reductions through reduced time and labor for the user at the loading and unloading facilities, as well as reduced cost through the use of common parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete and thorough understanding of the particular embodiments and advantages thereof may be acquired by referring to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate like features, and wherein:

FIG. 1A is a schematic drawing illustrating a side view of a railway tank car having a manway with a protective housing assembly formed on an upper portion of the tank car;

FIG. 1B is a schematic drawing illustrating an end view of the railway tank car of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 1C is a schematic drawing in elevation, with portions broken away, showing a conventional protective housing assembly or dome assembly mounted on a tank car surrounding a manway of the tank car, with the protective housing assembly in its first, closed position;

FIG. 1D is a cross sectional view, with portions broken away, illustrating a conventional manway nozzle and protective housing;

FIG. 1E is a schematic drawing illustrating a top view of the tank car and protective housing;

FIG. 2A is an overhead view of a repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly, according to particular embodiments;

FIG. 2B is an overhead view of the hinge bracket of the repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly illustrated in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2C is a perspective view of the repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly illustrated in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating repositioning of a protective housing/manway cover assembly, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly in a first orientation and a second orientation, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 5A is a perspective schematic drawing of hinge bracket that secures over the top of the manway shell;

FIG. 5B is a cross section of the hinge bracket illustrated in FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the hinge bracket illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B in operation, according to a particular embodiment;

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a hinge bracket assembly with a toggle clamp, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 7B is a side view of a manway cover assembly where the hinge bracket and the handle bracket include toggle clamps; and

FIG. 8 is another flow diagram illustrating repositioning of a protective housing/manway cover assembly, according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Tank railcars transport a wide variety of commodities. To accommodate this, different types of fittings and number of fittings are used on the railcar, depending on the commodity and customer preferences, to load, unload, and check on the commodity. These fittings are usually located at the top center of the tank railcar within a manway structure to provide security and to protect the fittings in the event of a derailment. The manway protective housing or nozzle is normally provided with a lid, or protective housing cover or manway cover, on top that is opened to provide access or closed to provide safety and security. Examples are illustrated with respect to FIGS. 1A-1E described below.

Different user facilities may have different equipment layouts for accessing the fittings. Some of these layout configurations may be incompatible with a particular cover opening direction and may vary from facility to facility, even for the same user. For example, the loading facility may have a different equipment layout than their unloading facility.

Accordingly, particular embodiments described herein include both protective housing covers or manway covers with fittings that may be oriented to open in various directions to aid top loading and unloading operations.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a customary railway tank car 10 includes a tank 12. Tank 12 includes a generally elongated hollow cylinder 18 enclosed at a first end 20 and a second end 22. Tank 12 also includes an upper portion 28 and a lower portion 30.

Tank car 10 may be used to transport a variety of hazardous and non-hazardous liquid or semi-liquid bulk commodities. Fluid commodities may be loaded into tank 12 through a variety of tank fittings within the protective housing or manway 38. Unloading of the commodities or lading may be accomplished through a variety of fittings, such as a discharge valve 40 within manway 38. In other embodiments, discharge valve 40 and manway 38 may be located virtually anywhere on tank 12, for example, along upper portion 28, lower portion 30, or proximate first end 20 or second end 22 of tank 12. In addition, tank 12 may be pressurized to assist in the unloading of the lading. Further, the shape and/or configuration of tank 12 may assist in unloading the lading. For example, tank 12 may slope gradually at lower portion 30 from each end 20 and 22 toward discharge valve 40. The configuration and slope of upper portion 28 of tank 12 may conform to the configuration and slope of the lower portion 30.

A head 42 is coupled to cylinder 18 at first end 20. Similarly, a head 44 is coupled to cylinder 18 at second end 22. Cylinder 18 and heads 42 and 44 at least partially define tank 12 and protect the contents of tank 12 from the ambient environment.

FIG. 1C illustrates portions of a railway tank car 120 with a conventional protective housing assembly or nozzle 138 mounted thereon. Tank car 120 preferably includes manway or access opening 122 located in an upper portion thereof, proximate a midpoint between opposite ends 121a and 121b of tank car 120. Protective housing assembly 138 includes a generally hollow, cylindrical portion 132 and normal protective housing cover or lid 134. Hinge assembly 136 enables lid 134 to rotate between a first, closed position, as shown in FIG. 1C, and a second, open position (not expressly shown). Cylindrical portion 132 may sometimes be referred to as a sidewall or shell, protective housing, or nozzle.

The dimensions of cylindrical portion 132 may be selected to accommodate the outside diameter of manway 122 and fittings cover 124 such that cylindrical portion 132 generally surrounds the valves on fittings cover 124. Various valves and fittings designated 125, 126, 127, 128 and 129 may be mounted on fittings cover 124 to control loading and unloading of commodities from tank car 120. Additionally, cylindrical portion 132 may be bolted or otherwise coupled to fittings cover plate 124. Protective housing assembly 138 helps prevent damage to valves and fittings 125 through 129 in the event tank car 120 is derailed and turns over. One of these valves will typically be a safety valve that discharges fluid from tank car 120 when the pressure of fluid contained therein exceeds a predetermined, maximum value.

A vent opening or discharge opening may also be formed in protective housing cover or lid 134 to enable any fluids discharged from the safety valve to exit from protective housing assembly 138. The vent opening may also have a respective cover that opens and closes in response to any fluids discharged from the associated safety valve.

A plurality of portholes or openings 141 may be formed in cylindrical portion 132 of protective housing assembly 138. Respective porthole covers 140 may be mounted on the exterior of cylindrical portion 132 adjacent to each porthole 138. For the example shown in FIG. 1C, portholes 141 and porthole covers 140 have generally circular configurations. Pivot pin 142 may be used to rotatably or pivotally mount each porthole cover 140 adjacent to respective porthole opening 141. Porthole covers 140 may be rotated from a first closed position as shown in FIG. 1C to a second, open position (not expressly shown) which allows access to and/or operation of adjacent valves 125 through 129.

FIG. 1D illustrates a conventional configuration of a manway 144, manway nozzle 146, fittings cover plate 148, and protective housing or nozzle 150, in more detail. As illustrated in FIG. 1D, fittings cover plate 148 is disposed above and spaced from the tank 152 of a railway tank car. Protective housing or nozzle 150 protects valves 154 a-c from damage.

FIG. 1E is a schematic drawing, illustrating a top view of the tank car and protective housing. The protective housing assembly includes a cylindrical portion 54, a protective housing cover or lid 56, and a hinge assembly 58. Pin 82 may be inserted into an opening to prevent a third party from lifting up on handle 62 of lid 56 to raise lid 56 and thereby expose the valves housed within the protective housing assembly. Lid 56 may have provisions for a cable seal and lock to hold it in a shut position relative to cylindrical portion 54.

Coupled to fittings cover plate 70 are a plurality of valves 72 a-c. Valves 72 a-c may enable introduction of a fluid into the tank car or may enable removal of a fluid from the tank car. One or more of valves 72 a-c may be a safety valve (e.g., 500 psig start-to-discharge Safety Valve) to prevent excess pressure buildup within tank car 50.

Cylindrical portion 54 of the protective housing assembly surrounds the fittings cover plate 70 and valves 72 a-c. In a particular embodiment, cylindrical portion 54 may be fabricated from one-inch thick A572 grade 50 steel.

Cylindrical portion 54 may have a plurality of portholes 74 removed from it to allow access to the fittings and/or valves 72 a-c. The locations of the portholes 74 correspond to access points on the valves 72 a-c when the protective housing assembly 52 is installed on the tank car 50.

A plurality of braces or structural supports 76 may be coupled to the cylindrical portion 54 of the protective housing assembly. In the illustrated embodiment, these structural supports are approximately triangular gussets. A gusset may be a triangular member used to strengthen connections between adjacent parts, in this case, cylindrical portion 54 and the tank. Alternative embodiments may utilize structural supports 76 of practically any shape. A generally vertical leg of the structural supports 76 may be coupled to the cylindrical portion 54 and a generally horizontal leg of structural support 76 may be coupled with the body of the tank and/or manway collar. In a particular embodiment, structural supports 76 may be coupled to cylindrical portion 54 and the body of the tank and/or manway collar by welding. Structural supports 76 provide additional support for cylindrical portion 54 by more securely anchoring it to the tank.

In particular embodiments, cylindrical portion 54 and structural supports 76 may be fabricated from one-inch thick A572 grade 50 steel.

The tank car may also include a flat work surfaces to enable workers to walk around the top of the tank car (e.g., to access the valves 72 a-c). The work surfaces are generally formed by structural members that generally extend from cylindrical portion 54 to a jacket 84 of the tank car. The work surface is generally enclosed by a railing system that includes vertical railings and horizontal railings 90. Collectively, the vertical railings and horizontal railings 90 help to protect workers that are working on flat work surface 86.

Particular embodiments include a tank railcar manway and/or protective housing cover/lid that enables repositioning of the lid/cover to any customer-preferred orientation without changing the assembly. A single housing assembly may be repositioned at the shop or in the field to meet the needs of the loading/unloading facility.

Tank cars transporting various commodities may have different diameter nozzles (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 1D item 150) and covers/lids. The embodiments described herein may be employed on any diameter system as needed. It may also be retrofitted to existing tank railcars with minor modification to their nozzles.

Particular embodiments and their advantages are best understood by reference to FIGS. 2A through 8 wherein like reference numbers indicate like features.

FIG. 2A is an overhead view of a repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly, according to particular embodiments. Repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly 11 includes protective housing/manway cover 13 coupled to hinge bracket 15.

Hinge bracket 15 is coupled to manway shell or nozzle 17. Hinge bracket 15 enables protective housing/manway cover 13 to rotate between a first, closed position, as shown in FIG. 2A, and a second, open position (not expressly shown).

Also coupled to manway shell 17 is handle bracket 19. In some embodiments, hinge bracket 15 and handle bracket 19 may be coupled to manway shell or nozzle 17 via nuts 23 and bolts 25.

FIG. 2B is an overhead view of the hinge bracket of the repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly illustrated in FIG. 2A. Hinge bracket 15 includes hinge 21.

FIG. 2C is a perspective view of the repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly illustrated in FIG. 2A. Handle assembly 18 may include seal pin 27.

To facilitate repositioning of protective cover/manway cover assembly 11, wrenches, socket fittings, or any combination of each may be used to remove nuts 23 and bolts 25 and reattach protective housing/manway cover assembly 11 in a new orientation. For example, protective housing/manway cover assembly 11 may be rotated where pre-existing bolt holes are in positions for hinge bracket 15 and handle bracket 19 to be remounted to manway shell or nozzle 17. As one example, the pre-existing bolt holes may be positioned at 45-degree increments around manway shell or nozzle 17. In some embodiments, the pre-existing bolt holes may be located at any number of locations and spacing to provide for multiple lid orientations.

Particular embodiments are improvements on current bolt-on cover assemblies that may be repositioned by unbolting and relocating because this normally requires breaking the cover seal at the handle and lifting the cover to expose the bolts or nuts inside the protective housing. Depending on the location where this is done, it may require reattaching another cover seal. Some solutions overcome this problem using threaded holes on the protecting housing and installing/removing bolts from the outside of the housing. However, both of these designs may permit unwanted access to the valves simply by unbolting the cover handle and hinge and removing the cover from the protective housing.

The repositioning operation may take place at any railcar location where reorienting the cover is essential. This may be at a fabrication plant, a loading/unloading facility, or in a rail yard or repair location. An example is illustrated in FIG. 3 .

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating repositioning of a manway cover assembly, according to some embodiments. The cover assembly may include repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly 11 illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2C.

At step 312, an operator determines that an orientation of the repositionable protective housing/manway cover is different than a desired orientation. For example, an operator may determine that repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly 11 is oriented to open longitudinally, but a loading facility may be configured for tank cars with covers that open transversely. Thus, the operator may determine to reorient repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly 11 to open transversely.

At step 314, the operator uncouples the repositionable protective housing/manway cover from the manway shell or nozzle. For example, the operator may remove nuts 23 and bolts 25 to uncouple repositionable protective housing/manway cover 10 (e.g., uncouple hinge bracket 15 and/or handle bracket 19) from manway shell or nozzle 17.

At step 316, the operator reorients the repositionable protective housing/manway cover to the desired orientation. For example, the operator may rotate repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly 11 from a longitudinally opening orientation to a transversely opening orientation.

At step 318, the operator couples the repositionable protective housing/manway cover to the manway shell or nozzle. For example, the operator may couple repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly 11 (e.g., coupling hinge bracket 15 and/or handle bracket 19) to manway shell or nozzle 17 via nuts 23 and bolts 25. The repositionable protective housing/manway cover is now reoriented to a more convenient orientation. For example, particular embodiments may prevent restaging of railcars in a lot and before they enter a facility.

Although particular embodiments and examples are described with respect to FIGS. 2A-3 as using nuts and bolts to couple the repositionable protective housing/manway cover to the manway shell, other embodiments may use other suitable fastening methods.

Some embodiments may make the action more efficient or provide for more orientation locations. For example, in some embodiments the nuts and bolts may be replaced with quick disconnect pins. In some embodiments, the quick disconnect pins may be spring-loaded. In operation, the pins are retracted, the protective housing/manway cover rotated, and the pins reengaged. This may be performed without raising the cover.

Some embodiments may use a large band clamp around the outside of the protective housing/manway cover around the manway shell. The clamp is loosened (i.e., tension is released), the lid rotated, and then the clamp retightened (i.e., tensioned). There are other suitable ways to reposition the protective housing/manway cover and secure it in various orientations.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly in a first orientation and a second orientation, according to some embodiments. Repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly 11 is illustrated in a first position using solid lines. Repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly 11 may be rotated (illustrated arrow) to a second orientation illustrated using dashed lines. This permits the protective housing/manway cover to be repositioned at any time at any location without having to break the cover seal and without compromising protection to the valves under the cover.

Some embodiments facilitate an infinite number of rotational positional locations and enable the protective housing/manway cover to be rotated with the cover in a secured closed position or in the open position. The embodiments provide a more secure cover to prevent unauthorized access to the inside of the nozzle. Examples are illustrated in FIGS. 5A-8 .

FIG. 5A is a perspective schematic drawing of hinge bracket that secures over the top of the manway shell or nozzle. FIG. 5B is a cross section of the hinge bracket illustrated in FIG. 5A.

As illustrated, the top of hinge bracket 15 includes C-shaped flange 53. C-shaped flange 53 is designed to secure hinge bracket 15 to manway shell or nozzle 17. A similar C-shaped flange may be used with handle bracket 19.

In operation, C-shaped flange 53 of hinge bracket 15 is hooked over a lip on the inside of the manway shell or nozzle and rotated downward. An example is illustrated in FIG. 6 .

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the hinge bracket illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B in operation, according to a particular embodiment. As illustrated, hinge bracket 15 is positioned over and perpendicular to manway shell or nozzle 17 to engage lip 55 (illustrated via dashed lines) and rotated downward (illustrated arrow) to a position parallel to manway shell or nozzle 17, securing C-shaped flange 53 to lip 55 of manway shell or nozzle 17. In a similar fashion, handle bracket 19 (FIG. 4 ) may be engaged.

In the downward position, the protective housing/manway cover may be installed using a hinge pin and handle secure pin. After these pins are installed, the protective housing/manway cover cannot be lifted off the manway shell or nozzle because of the overlapping portions of the manway shell or nozzle and brackets inside of the manway. However, the configuration permits the protective housing/manway cover to be rotated to any rotational position. The configuration also enables the protective housing/manway cover to be rotated to any desired position when the protective housing/manway cover is open.

Other options may be used to secure the protective housing/manway cover to the manway shell or nozzle and permit rotation. One embodiment uses bolts and detent pins as described above.

Some embodiments may use an over-center clamp on both the hinge bracket and the handle bracket to fasten the protective housing/manway cover in a desired location. This provides an infinite number of rotational possibilities, provides for a quick and easy release and re-clamp to reduce the time to reposition, and securely fastens the cover in the desired location.

Some embodiments may use multiple clamps. A variety of styles and types of clamps and fasteners may be used. FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate one toggle clamp example.

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a hinge bracket assembly with a toggle clamp, according to some embodiments. Hinge bracket 15 includes toggle clamp 73. Toggle clamp 73 operates through a hole in handle bracket 14 to engage manway shell or nozzle 17 to hold protective housing/manway cover 13 rotationally on manway shell or nozzle 17. A corresponding clamp may be used on handle bracket 19.

FIG. 7B is a side view of a repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly where the hinge bracket and the handle bracket include toggle clamps. The example manway shell or nozzle 17 with protective housing/manway cover 13 installed. Hinge bracket 15 illustrates the toggle clamp engaged and handle bracket 19 illustrates the clamp disengaged.

FIG. 8 is another flow diagram illustrating repositioning of a protective housing/manway cover assembly, according to some embodiments. The example illustrates repositioning the protective housing/manway cover using an infinitely adjustable design with over-center toggle clamps, such as the design illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B.

At step 812, an operator determines that an orientation of the repositionable protective housing/manway cover is different than a desired orientation. For example, an operator may determine that repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly 11 is oriented to open longitudinally, but a loading facility may be configured for tank cars with protective housing/manway covers that open transversely. Thus, the operator may determine to reorient repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly 11 to open transversely.

At step 814, the operator uncouples the repositionable protective housing/manway cover from the manway shell or nozzle. For example, the operator may release toggle clamps 72 to uncouple repositionable protective housing/manway cover 10 (e.g., uncouple hinge bracket 15 and/or handle bracket 19) from manway shell or nozzle 17.

At step 816, the operator reorients the repositionable protective housing/manway cover to the desired orientation. For example, the operator may rotate repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly 11 from a longitudinally opening orientation to a transversely opening orientation.

At step 818, the operator couples the repositionable protective housing/manway cover to the manway shell or nozzle. For example, the operator may couple repositionable protective housing/manway cover assembly 11 (e.g., engaging toggle clamps 72) to manway shell or nozzle 17. The repositionable protective housing/manway cover is now reoriented to a more convenient orientation.

Some embodiments of the disclosure may provide one or more technical advantages. As an example, some embodiments enable a rail operator to access platforms of varying height via inclined walkways without the tripping risk inherent with steps.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the systems and apparatuses disclosed herein without departing from the scope of the invention. The components of the systems and apparatuses may be integrated or separated. Moreover, the operations of the systems and apparatuses may be performed by more, fewer, or other components.

Although embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alternations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following example embodiments. 

1. A repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly comprising: a protective housing or manway cover; a hinge bracket; and a manway shell or nozzle; and wherein the protective housing or manway cover is coupled to the hinge bracket and the hinge bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle.
 2. The repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly of claim 1, further comprising a handle bracket, wherein the protective housing or manway cover is coupled to the handle bracket and the handle bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle.
 3. The repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the manway shell or nozzle comprises a plurality of bolt holes positioned around the manway shell or nozzle and the hinge bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle via bolts using a subset of the plurality of bolt holes.
 4. The repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly of claim 3, further comprising a handle bracket, wherein the protective housing or manway cover is coupled to the handle bracket and the handle bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle via bolts using a subset of the plurality of bolt holes.
 5. The repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly of claim 3, wherein the plurality of bolt holes are positioned at 45 degree increments around the manway shell or nozzle.
 6. The repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the hinge bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle via disconnect pins.
 7. The repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the hinge bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle via a band clamp.
 8. The repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the hinge bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle via a toggle clamp.
 9. The repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the manway shell or nozzle comprises a lip and the hinge bracket comprises a flange that secures the hinge bracket to the manway shell or nozzle via the lip and wherein the flange and lip permit rotational movement of the hinge bracket with respect to the manway shell or nozzle and restrict vertical movement of the hinge bracket with respect to the manway shell or nozzle.
 10. The repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly of claim 1, further comprising a handle bracket, wherein the protective housing or manway cover is coupled to the handle bracket and the handle bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle, and wherein the manway shell or nozzle comprises a lip and the handle bracket comprises a flange that secures the handle bracket to the manway shell or nozzle via the lip and wherein the flange and lip permit rotational movement of the handle bracket with respect to the manway shell or nozzle and restrict vertical movement of the handle bracket with respect to the manway shell or nozzle.
 11. A method for repositioning a protective housing or manway cover, the method comprising: determining that an orientation of a repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly is different than a desired orientation; uncoupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly from a manway shell or nozzle; reorienting the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly to the desired orientation; and coupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly to the manway shell or nozzle.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the protective housing or manway cover is coupled to a hinge bracket and the hinge bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle, wherein: uncoupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly from a manway shell or nozzle comprises uncoupling the hinge bracket from the manway shell or nozzle; and coupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly to the manway shell or nozzle comprises coupling the hinge bracket to the manway shell or nozzle.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the protective housing or manway cover is coupled to a handle bracket and the handle bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle, wherein: uncoupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly from a manway shell or nozzle comprises uncoupling the handle bracket from the manway shell or nozzle; and coupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly to the manway shell or nozzle comprises coupling the handle bracket to the manway shell or nozzle.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the manway shell or nozzle comprises a plurality of bolt holes positioned around the manway shell or nozzle and the hinge bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle via bolts using a subset of the plurality of bolt holes.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the protective housing or manway cover is coupled to a handle bracket and the handle bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle via bolts using a subset of the plurality of bolt holes.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of bolt holes are positioned at 45 degree increments around the manway shell or nozzle.
 17. The method of claim 12, wherein the hinge bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle via disconnect pins, wherein: uncoupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly from a manway shell or nozzle comprises uncoupling the hinge bracket from the manway shell or nozzle via the disconnect pins; and coupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly to the manway shell or nozzle comprises coupling the hinge bracket to the manway shell or nozzle via the disconnect pins.
 18. The method of claim 12, wherein the hinge bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle via a band clamp, wherein uncoupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly from a manway shell or nozzle comprises uncoupling the hinge bracket from the manway shell or nozzle by releasing tension on the band clamp; and coupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly to the manway shell or nozzle comprises coupling the hinge bracket to the manway shell or nozzle by tensioning the band clamp.
 19. The method of claim 12, wherein the hinge bracket is repositionably coupled to the manway shell or nozzle via a toggle clamp, wherein: uncoupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly from a manway shell or nozzle comprises uncoupling the hinge bracket from the manway shell or nozzle by toggling the toggle clamp to a first position; and coupling the repositionable protective housing or manway cover assembly to the manway shell or nozzle comprises coupling the hinge bracket to the manway shell or nozzle by toggling the toggle clamp to a second position.
 20. The method of claim 12, wherein the manway shell or nozzle comprises a lip and the hinge bracket comprises a flange that secures the hinge bracket to the manway shell or nozzle via the lip and wherein the flange and lip permit rotational movement of the hinge bracket with respect to the manway shell or nozzle and restrict vertical movement of the hinge bracket with respect to the manway shell or nozzle. 